The BBC paid out more than £600,000 last year dealing with employment tribunal
claims.

A total of £379,125 went in payments to aggrieved staff to settle cases and a further £203,627 plus VAT was spent in external lawyers' fees in 2009-10, figures released by the corporation in response to a Freedom of Information request show.

The BBC had to pay another £24,386 plus VAT as a contribution towards one claimant's legal costs.

This came to a bill for licence fee payers of £607,138 plus tax of at least £34,201, depending on whether the costs were incurred before or after the VAT rate returned to 17.5 per cent in January 2010.

The total does not include work done by in-house employment lawyers or claims brought against BBC Worldwide, the corporation's commercial arm.

Thirty-three employees brought employment tribunal claims against the BBC last year, according to the Freedom of Information response.